


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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^ PRACTICAL 



FOUNDED ON THE SCRIPTURES, 



RELATIVE TO THE 

SLAVE POPULATION 



OF SOUTB-CAB.OLISrA. -;> 



MSPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO "THE SOUTH-CAROIIXA ASSOCIATTON Z' 



BY A SOUTH-CAROLINIAN. 



CHARLESTON: 

PRINTED AND SOLD BY A. K. MILLER, 

No. 4, Broad-street. 



1823. 



FRACTZCAL CONSZDZ^ATZONS. 



AN preparing; these " Considerations" for the press, 
I am not unaware of the difficulty and deliracy of the 
subject, in which I have engaged. But as a religious 
man, I feel myself constrained by a sense of duty, 
to invite the attention of Slave-holders, to, what I 
conceive to be, an important and interesting subject. 
It is my design to show, from the Scriptures of the 
Old and New Testament, that Slavery is not forbid- 
den by the Divine Law, and, at the same time, to 
prove, the necessity of giving religious instruction to 
our Negroes. 

I profess myself to be a decided advocate for the 
religious instruction of our slaves. Jesus Christ com- 
manded his Apostles, to " preach the Gospel to every 
creature.''^ — Mark, xvi, 15. And again, " That re- 
pentance and remission of sins should be preached 
in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusa- 
lem. — Luke xxiv, 47. Can I, then, withhold my 
prayer to heaven, that the whole human race, with- 
out distinction of colour, or nation, maybe brought 
to a knowledge of God their Redeemer, and besav- 



4 

cd ? I know from the Scriptures, tluit " Gorl woulil 
have all men to be saved, and come ro the know- 
ledge of the truth, as it is in Jesus. — 1 Tim. ii. 4. — 
Eph. iv. 21. God, then, requires it. The everlast- 
ing Iiappinessof th(?se people requires it: and, I think, 
our own comfort, as well as theirs, require it. 

I am well aware, however, that the state of soci- 
ety in slave-holding countries, is of a peculiar cha- 
racter. 1 know from the experience of nearly my 
whole life, the difficulty of becoming acquainted with 
the real character of Negroes, with their principles, 
and their capacity for attaining moral and religious 
instruction. And I am likewise aware, of the mea- 
sure of prudence which is necessary, to improve their 
moral and spiritual condition, without deranging the 
existing order of society. Possessed of this know- 
ledge, I am decidedly of the opinion, and so, I be- 
lieve, is every well-informed man in the State, that 
persons born and educated in all the prejudices of 
non-slave-holding countries, and mere itinerants here 
for a few winter months, are unfit for the instruction 
of these [)eople. If they who are born and brought 
up in the midst of tens of thousands of Negroes ; if 
they who have so much at stake upon the issue ; if 
they are greatly at a loss as to the proper means of 
instructing them, how is it possible, that strangers to 
their character, their habits of thinking, their princi- 
ples and prop,'>nsities, and who have nothing at stake 
upon the issue, can form a correct opinion upon this 
delicate, and important subject ? It requires not the 



wisdom of a Solomon to discern the truth of this re- 
mark. These persons come here, we must bplJHve, 
with the best intentions, and full of missionary zeal ; 
but they come full-fraught with speculative notions 
of personal liberty, and would change " times and 
laws" to proHjOte, what they conceive to be a cor- 
rect, and religious, view of the subject. But they 
either forget, or tiiey do not know, that .there is a ci- 
vil, as well as a religious view of this subject. There 
are rights guaranteed by law, which are not to b^ 
trampled upon. There is a chain which binds to- 
gether the various orders of o'^r commnniry, wiiich 
must not be broken. Some of its links may require 
to be polished ; but this must only be attempted by a 
master workman, who perfectly understands of what 
materials the chain is composed. Now, I think it 
will be admitted, that, in South-Carolina, there are 
many, very many, patriotic, enlightened, judicious 
and pious men, who are as able to form correct opi- 
nions, on the existing order of things in their own 
State, as they who know nothing more of our soci- 
ety, rhan what they have learned within the walls of 
their college. It is not, therefore, to be wondered at, 
that we claim the right of managing our own affairs, 
according to our own discretion. 

Our Planters have had just cause of complaint on 
this subject. It is known to many, that fin! i Negroes 
have been collected and addressed, without the know- 
ledge or consent of their masters. The Piaiirers, 
however, are now alive to their duty and their inter- 



est? : and. ir is not prnbablf^. that such hishly censu- 
rable f-onHurt will ever be reppaled. We are ready 
to ronf» S5 that, the present state of things, is not in 
arrordanre with all our feelings. We deprecate the 
evil which aneuds it. It has descended to us; we 
harp not produced it. We would most uilliusly ap- 
ply the remedy, if we knew wJiat it was. If the non- 
slave u-ildins States will purchase our -plantations 
aud slaves, and send the latter to Africa under the 
patronage <-f the Colonization Society, or dispose of 
them iu a;iy manner, which the general government 
may think proj»er to direet, I do not in my con- 
scienrr bi^lieve, there would b*^ mauy Plant* rs in 
South-Carolina, who would hesitate one moment, to 
get rid of both, even at something below their value. 
As to paning with them without an equivalent, is 
out of the question : for our sertants are our money : 
Exod. sxi. 20. 21. and we shall never choose beg- 
gary for ourselves and our families, when it is left to 
our choice. Our lands miiht as well be asked of 
us as our Negroes, because they once belonged to the 
Indians. Manumission would produce nothing but 
evil. Not one of these people in aa hundred would 
maintain himselt by labour. Ignorant and indolent 
by nature, im[»rovident and depraved by habit, and 
destitute of the moral principle, as they generally 
ajipear to be, ages and generations must pass away, 
b'fore t'sey could be made viriuous. honest; and use- 
ful meiDbers of the body politic. 



Iffalpvcr evil mar a^tps' 
wifl Bor bp qaesrcxied- r«af ih^ sbv^^ in S(nd^C«- 
aie tvratni wil^ MHe hsaaMly aad kiai- 
doB aiHkMS of while pnpip 11 odbrr pv8 oT 
the world. TVt are faHE^Mhrmi«d;lhrvpRs- ' 

tky air wrl doihed. wefl Ir^ a^ well Mned 
dbcT arr sack: aad sBrfcas ima i n k. kowcthe 

% is aa LiiJ i tt of the' 
■rat thry rereire. Betwecs the jnraR 1810 aad 

thfTP was a Batanl iautaa p in the UaKrd SlafKs af 
G2347. Ok of the Mst MfMti^ ari pop^ 
works paUBhed jm EaAmL, n^s oa thb 
''Whieii theUHWdScitosorAaFfka. 

A^ p-i.^-*. ^^i^=-T ,Tr JTmrr ht w fhi i iii i 

«ncr,MaTl833,pL^i5.dhHr.i:i. ThisBMi 
to the hmtamkj ni 




8 

and most productivo lands in the State, must be foi 
evpv left waste, and the planters either abandon the 
sea-coast for the upper country, or emigrate to other 
climes. Can we reasonably be expected to submit 
to this state of things ? Certainly not by reasonable 
men. Whatever arrangements may hereafter be de- 
vised by our citizens on this subject, there is no doubt 
as to this fact ; that they will never be effected by 
physical force at home, nor extorted by the abuse of 
non-slave-holding States abroad. 

All this, however, will avail but little with the ad- 
vocates of manumission. They insist upon it, that 
we have no right to hold these people in slavery, be- 
cause, by nature, they are as free as ourselves. What 
they were intended to be by nature, we can know 
nothing, but from what the Bible has revealed. 
We know from that source, that man was created 
immortal ; but we likewise learn from the same 
source, that he forfeited his privilege by disobedience 
and sin. And, perhaps, we shall find that the ne- 
groes, the descendants of Ham, lost their freedom 
through the abominable wickedness of their proge- 
nitor. 

It was not my original intention to have gone 
into a minute detail of the origin of slavery ; but as I 
think the Exposition published by the Baptists,* 
places it upon insufficient ground, I shall briefly state, 

V * The Rev. Dr. Richard Furman's Exposition of the Views of 
Jhe Baptists, relative to the coloured population of the United States. 
Charleston, 1823. 



9 ^ 

what appears lo me to be scriptural authority on the 
subject. 

We find it recorded in the 9th chap, of Genesis, that 
" Noah began to be an husbandman ; and that he 
planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and 
was drunken ; and he was uncovered within his tent. 
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness 
of his father, and told his two brethren without. And 
Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it u{)on 
both their shoulders, and went backward, and cover- 
ed the nakedness of their father ; and their faces 
were backward, and they saw not their father's na- 
kedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and 
knew what his younger son had done unto him. 
And he said Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants 
shall he he unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed 
be the Lord Cof/.of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his 
servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall 
dwell in the tents of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his 
servant. — Ver. 20-28.* 

This is according to our common authorized ver- 
sion ; but a more correct version is supposed to be 
furnished by the Arabic, than by the Hebrew, be- 
cause tiie insertion of the name of Ham, accords 
better with the context. 

* The drunkenness of Noah is thus explained. The vine, it is 
supposed, had not before been cultivated, and Noah was ignorant 
of the strength of the expressed juice. It is probable, from the 
severity of the malediction, that Ham and Canaan spoke of their 
fathers situation, with ridicule and contempt, rather than reverence 
and regret; while Shem and Japheth, showed their modesty and 
filial respect, by covering him from shame, 
o 



10 

J. Cursed be Ha/n, the father of Canaan ; 
A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren. 

II. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem ; 

And Ham, the father of Canaan, shall be his servant; 

III. God shall enlarge Japheth ; 

He shall even dwell in the tents of Shem ; 

And Ham, the father of Canaan, shall be his servant. 

It matters but little which version we receive, as 
the meaning is nearly the same. Blessings are pro- 
mised to the posterity of Shem and Japheth, and the 
curse of slavery to those of Ham, through his son 
Canaan. It must be evident to every reader of the 
Bible, that the afflatus of Noah was divine. The 
future condition of his idolatrous and wicked poste- 
rity, could not otherwise have been known to him; 
and time and events have verified his predictions. 
The prophecy of Noah, like that of the Angel con- 
cerning Ishmael, and those concerning Esau, and the 
twelve Patriarchs, was to be fulfilled, not in the in- 
dividuals named, but nationally in their descendants, 
Canaan's whole race were under the malediction. 
These people were peculiarly wicked, and obnox- 
ious to the wrath of God. Sodom and Gomorrah, 
and the cities of the plain, were destroyed for their 
abominations. — Gen. xviii. xix. And the Amor- 
itrs, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Canaanites, the 
Hittitcs, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, were 
destroyed or expelled by the Israelites, by the com- 
mand of God. — Gen. xv. 16. — Deut. ix. 4. xii, 31. — 
Lev. xviii. — Josh. iii. 9. 10. 

That the denunciation was national, and not per- 
sonal, we have the evidence in the fact, that Mel- 



u 

chizedech, the " Priest of the Most High God, "and 
Abimelech, the king of Gerar, to whom God appear- 
ed in a dream, were Canaanites. As many of the 
nations descended from Canaan, were not destroyed 
by the Israelites, the curse of servitude must neces- 
sarily be fulfilled in their posterity. These became 
" servants of servants,'^'* i. e. the lowest state of 
servitude, slaves " to their brethren," the Shemites 
and Ja[)hethites, the Jews and the Christians of the 
present day. The curse did not extend to the soul 
and eternity, but merely to their bodies and the pre- 
sent life. No individual, therefore, was deprived of 
the j)ossibility of salvation. 

The descendants of the three sons of Noah, Shem, 
Ham and Ja[)heth, settled different i)arts of the 
world, and peopled the earth after the fldod. Shem, 
which means renown, was an ancestor of the Jews ; 
but his principal honor was derived from being the 
lineal ancestor of the Saviour of the world. Ills 
descendants settled the upppr and middle Asia. Ar- 
menia, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Media, Persia, &c. 
Japheth, means enlargement. His descendants set- 
tled the greater part of the western world, and th'y 
still exist in the multitude of Christians. They set- 
tled a part of Asia, whence, probably, some got ovrr 
to America. They likewise spread over Euro;)e, 
and peopled the isles. Hani, means black, or burnt. 
He was the father of Canaan. His descendants set- 
tled the hot regions of Asia, on the Persian Gulph, 
Arabia, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Africa. 



12 

The rollovviiig curious and valuable coiuuiuntaiy, 
on the tenth cha|)ter of Genesis, says Dr. Hale, which 
records the primitive settlements of the three families, 
is furnished by Abulfaragi, in his History of the Dy- 
nasties, p. 11 : — 

" In the 140th year of Phaleg, [B. C. 2614] the 
earth was divided, by a second division, among the 
sons of Noah. 

" To the sons of Shem was allotted the middle of 
the earth, namely, Palestine, Syiia, Assyria, Samar- 
ra. Babel, Persia, and Ilegiaz, [or Arabia Petroea.] 

" To the sons of Ham, Teiman, [or Idumeea. — 
Jer. xlix. 7.] Africa, Nigritia, Egyi)t, Nubia, /Ethi- 
opia, Scindia, and India, [or Western and Eastern 
India, on both sides of the Indus.] 

" To the sons of Ja|)heth also, Garbia, (the North) 
Spain, France, the countries of the Greeks, Sclavo- 
iiians, Bulgarians, Turks, and Armenians." 

If this division be accurate, continues Dr. Hale, 
Armenia, the cradle of the postdiluvian race of man- 
kind, was allotted to Ja[)heth, by right of primoge- 
niture : and the sons of Canaan usurped Palestine, 
as well as the sons of Cush, under Nimrod, the land 
of Shinaar. or Babel ; both being allotted to the Shem- 
ites by the Divine d( :ree. And this furnishes an 
additional proof of the justice of the expulsion of the 
Canaanites by the Israelites, the rightful possessors 
of the land of Palestine, under Moses, Joshua, and 



13 

their successors ; when the original grant was re- 
newed to Abraham. — Gen. xv. 13 to end* 

According to Procoi)ius, a celebrated writer of the 
sixth century, says Jamieson, many of the Girga- 
shites, Jebusites, and other Canaanitish nations, set- 
tled at Tingis, now Tangier, in Africa. " There," 
lie says, " nigh a large fountain, appear two i)illars 
of white stone, having this inscription engraved on 
them in Phenician characters : fVe are those who fled 
from the face of Joshua^ the son of Nun, the robber.^^ 
Whatever may be thought of this inscription, his tes- 
timony with respect to Canaanites settling in that 
part of the country, is confirmed by different writers. 
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in Africa, testifies, that 
" if any of the boors in the neighbourhood of Hippo 
or Carthage was asked who he was, or of what coun- 
try, he answered that he was a Canaanite." Euse- 
bius also asserts that the Canaanites, who were rout- 
ed by Joshua, led colonies into Africa, and settled at 
Triimli. Even Mela the geographer, who flourish- 
ed in the reign of Claudius Ctesar, and who had 
been born in the neighbourhood o( Tingis, adtnits 
that the Tingitanians were Phenicians. This, I need 
scarcely say, was the name by which the inhabitants 
of Palestine were generally known among other 
nations. The Greek poet Nonnus, from some au- 
thors whose works are now lost, assures us that 

* Hale's Analysis of Chronology, &c. I. pp. 351, 358. — Lon- 
don, 1 809. 



u 

Cadmus, the Phenician, maHe a very successful ex- 
perliran into these parts of Africa. " Philistus of 
Syracuse, a writer of good autliority, who lived 
above three hundred and fifty years before Christ, 
relates, that the first traces of Carthage, were owing 
toZorusand Charchedon, twoTyriansor Phenicians, 
thirty years before the destruction of Troy, accord- 
ing to Eusebius."* 

But the curse of Noah, says Bishop Newton, par- 
ticularly implies servitude and subjection. Cursed 
be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall he be unto his 
brethren. It is very well known, that the word bre- 
thren in Hebrew comprehends more distant relations. 
The descendants, therefore, of Canaan, were to be 
subject to the descendants of both Shem and Ja- 
phcth : and the natural consequence of vice, in com- 
munities as well as in single persons, is slavery. The 
same thing is repeated again and again in the two 
following verses : and Canaan shall be servant to 
them, or their servant : so that this is the burden of 
the prophecy. Some critics take the phrase of ser- 
vant of servants strictly and literally, and say, tiiat 
the prediction was exactly fulfilled, when the Ca- 
naanites became servants to the Israelites, who had 
been servants to the Egyptians. But this is refining 
too much ; the phrase of servant of servants is of the 
same turn and cast as holy of holies, king of kings, 
song of songs, and tiie like expressions in Scripture ; 

* Jamieson's Use of Sacred History, &c. II. p. 79. — Araer. Ed. 
1810 ; who refers to his authcrities. 



15 

and imports that they should he the lowest and basest 
of servants. — It was several centuries after the deli- 
very of this prophecy, when the Israelites, who were 
descendants of Shem, under the command of Joshua, 
invaded the Canaanites, smote above thirty of their 
kings, took possession of their land, slew several of 
the inhabitants, made the Gibeonites and others ser- 
vants and tributaries, and Solomon afterwards sub- 
dued the rest. 2 Chron. viii. 7, 8, 9. — ** As for all 
the people that were left of the Hittites, and the 
Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and 
the Jebusites, which were not of Israel ; but of their 
children who were left after them in the land, whom 
the children of Israel consumed not ; them did Solo- 
mon make to pay tribute until this day. But of the 
children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for 
his work : but they were men of war, and chief of 
his captains, and captains of his chariots and horse- 
men.'' The Greeks and Romans too, who were de- 
scendants of Japheth, not only subdued Syria and 
Palestine, but also pursued and conquered such of 
the Canaanites as were any where remaining, as for 
instance the Tyrians and Carthaginians, the former 
of whom were ruined by Alexander and the Greci- 
ans, and the latter by Scipio and the Romans. " This 
fate," says Mr. Mede, " was it that made Hannibal, 
a child of Canaan, cry out with the amazement of 
his soul, Agnosco fortimam Carthaginis — I acknow- 
ledge the fortune of Carthage.'''' And ever since, the 
miserable remainder of this people have been slaves 



16 

to a foreign yoke ; first to' the Saracens, who descend- 
ed from Shem, and afterwards to the Turks, wl»o 
descended from Japheth ; and they groan under their 
dominion at this day. 

Hitherto, continues tlie Bishop, we have explain- 
ed the prophecy according to the present copies of 
our Bible : but if we were to correct the text, as we 
shoukl any ancient classic author in a like case, the 
w hole, perhaps, might be made easier and plainer. 
Ham the father of Canaan is mentioned in the pre- 
ceding part of the story ; and how thv'n came the 
person of a sudden to be changed into Canaan ? The 
Arabic version in these three verses, hath the father 
of Canaan, instead of Canaan. Some copies of the 
Sepiuagint likewise have Ham instead of Canaan, 
as if Canaan was a corruption of the text. Vata- 
blus and others, by C«»«rt?i understand the father of 
Canaan, which was expressed twice before. 

Bishop Newton then quotes the Arabic version, 
which I have given above, and gives his reasons in 
favour of it. He then proceeds— By this reading all 
the three sons of Noah are included in the prophecy, 
whereas otherwise, Ham, who was the offender, is 
excluded, or is only punished in one of his children. 
Ham is characterized as the father of Canaan parti- 
cularly, for the greater encouragement of the Israel- 
ites, who were going to invade the land of Canaan: 
and when it is said Cursed be Ham the father of Ca- 
naan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren ; 
it is implied that his whole race was devoted to ser- 



17 

vitude, but particularly the Canaanltes. Not that 
this was to take effect immediately, but was to be 
fulfilled in process of time, when they should forfeit 
their liberties by their wickedness Ham, at first, 
subdued some of the posterity of Shem, as Canaan 
sometimes conquered Japheth ; the Carthaginians, 
who were originally Canaanites, did particularly in 
Spain and Italy; but in time they were to be subdued 
and to become servants to Shem and Japheth ; and 
the change of their fortune from good to bad would 
render the curse still more visible. Egypt was /Ae 
land of Ham, d^^ it is often called in Scripture; and 
for many years it was a great and flourishing king- 
dom : but it was subdued by the Persians, who de- 
scended from Shem, and afterwards by the Grecians, 
who descended from Japheth ; and from that time to 
this it hath constantly been in subjection to some or 
other of the posterity of Shem or Japheth. The 
whole continent of Africa was peopled principally 
by the children of Ham ; and for how many ages 
have the better parts of that country lain under the 
dominion of the Romans, and then of the Saracens, 
and now of the Turks ! In what wickedness, igno- 
rance, barbarity, slavery and misery, live most of the 
inhabitants ! and of the Negroes, how many hundreds 
every year are sold and bought in the market, and 
are conveyed from one quarter of the world to an- 
other ! Nothing can be more complete than the ex- 
3 



18 

eciition of the sentence upon Ham, as well as upon 
Canaan.^''* 

The Negroes, says Bishop Wilson, the descend- 
ants of Ham and Canaan, according to one of the 
most ancient prophecies, {Geih ix. 25.) are become 
slaves to christians, the descendants of Japheth.f 

We find in the sacred record, at a subsequent pe- 
riod, that the Almighty permitted the Israelites to 
make slaves of the surrounding heathen, and to hold 
them in bondage /or ever ; thus confirming the curse 
of Noah. 

" Thy bond-men, and thy bond-7naids,'^^ said the 
Almighty to the Israelites, " which thou shalt have, 
shall be of the heathen that are round about you ; of 
them shall ye buy bond-men and bond-maids- And 
ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children 
after you, to inherit them for a possession ; they shaU 
he your bond-men for ever. 

Here is God's express command to the Israelites, to 
hold slaves /or ever, provided they were not of their 
brethren — " but," the command continues, " over 
your own brethren, the children of Irael, ye shall not 
rule over another with rigour." — Lev. xxv. 44. 46. 
These were to be released in the Sabbatical year, or 
at the Jubilee, but the others were to remain in bond- 

* Bishop Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies, [. pp. 10. 
— 24. Lond. 1786; where several authorities are quoted. 

t Bishop Wilson's Essay towards an Instruction for the Indians^ 
&c. — Preface, p. 9. Lond. 1754. 



1& 

age for ever. — Exod. xxi. 2. — 7. — DexiL xv. 12. i6. 
1 7. — Lev. XXV. the whole chapter.* 

It further appears from holy writ, that the Jews 
have been exterminated as a nation, and dispersed, 
over the face of the earth, according to prophecy ; 
and that according to other prophecies, they are uhi- 
mately to be gathered together and restored-! But 
we find no prophecy which removes the curse of 
servitude from the descendants of Ham and Ca- 
naan. These appear to be left to the wisdom and 
discretion of those to whom they may belong, and to 

* It is a well known fact, that great numbers of the Negroes in 
Africa, are born in absolute and unconditional slavery. Adultery, 
and other crimes, are there punished with slavery. Muhammedan 
schoolmasters in the interior, receive a slave, or the price of a slave, 
for teaching a scholar the Koran. Should the parent fail to make 
payment, they retain the child in bondage, and dispose of him as 
they think fit. Debt, likewise, subjects the dehnquent to slavery. 
And it has often occurred, from the natural indolence of the 
Negroes, that many have been in such extreme want, that they have 
gone to the Factors, and voluntarily placed themselves in bondage, 
to preserve their lives. War among the petty kings, supplies the 
greatest number of slaves ; they who are taken in battle, may, ac- 
cording to their laws, be put to death. It may be said, that if there 
were no purchasers, these things would cease. Some of these evils 
doubtless would. Therefore, I am a friend to the total annihilation 
of the slave trade, and to judicious efforts for the civilization and 
religious instruction of the Africans. 

It is here worthy of remark, that among the ancient Jews, some 
of the same causes of slavery existed, as we find them in Africa, at 
the present day : The fear of want. — Lev. xxv. 39- 40. Theft, if 
the party were unable to make restitution. — Ex. xxii. 3. Debt. — 
2 Kings, iv. 1. — Matt, xviii. 25. But these slaves, as remarked 
above, were released at a given time. And it was common to them, 
and other nations, to make slaves of their captives in war. — 2 Chro- 
xxxvi. 20. — Jer. xliii. 1. 8. Profane history may be consulted 
on tliis subject. 

t Amos viii. 11. to end of the next chapter. — Mic. ii. 12. 13,-^=. 
Zech. viii. 2. to end. — Luke xxi. 20 — 25. 



20 

the general operation, and beni?:n influence, of the 
Christian religion, on the human heart. 

If we turn to the New Testament, we shall see 
that slavery is not incompatible with the principles 
and profession of Christianity. We have the most 
conclusive evidence to the contrary. But, at the 
same time, we have evidence equally as strong, that 
Christianity makes it our duty to give religious in- 
struction to our servants. The following case will 
establish both tht'se positions : Onrsimus was the 
slave of Philemon, a distinguished man at Colosse, 
a city of considerable wealth and importance in 
Phrygia. He ran away from his master, and fled 
to Rome, where St. Paul, at the time, was a prison- 
er. Onesimus was a heathen ; but the Apostle con- 
verted him to the Christian faith. Now, what was 
the consequence of this conversion ? Did St. Paul 
tell him that Christianity made him free from his 
temporal servitude ? No. Did he tell him that 
slavery was contrary to the law of God, and, there- 
fore, that the laws of man could not make it legal ? 
No. He sent him back to his master, whom he en- 
treated to forgive him, and to receive him again into 
favour, not only as a servant, but as a brother in the 
Lord. See St. PauVs Epistle to Philemon* All 

* That no doubt may exist in the mind of the reader, as to the 
absolute bondage of Onesimus, I request them to consult Dr. 
Adam Clark, Dr. Doddridge, Dr. Scott, Dr. Whitby, Bishop 
Tondine, and Dr. Macknight, on the place. The latter, in treating 
of the several uses of this Epistle, says : " that the precepts of the 
Gospel found in it, may be improved in various respects for regu- 
lating our conduct. For it is therein insinuated, 1st. That ali 



21 

the sophistry in the world, cannot get rid of this de- 
cisive example. Christianity robs no man of his 
rights, and Onesimus was the property of his mas- 
ter, under the laws of his country, which must be 
obeyed, if not contrary to the laws of God. — Acts iv. 
19. " Let every man," says the same Apostle, 
" abide in the same calling wherein he was called." 
1 Cor. vii. 20. If he is converted while he is a slave, 
a slave he must remain, according to the pleasure of 
his master. After Onesimus was converted, he ex- 
pressed no fear of returning to the service of a 
Christian master ; for, most probably, St. Paul had 
taught him to expect, that he would be received with 
Christian kindness, and enjoy all the privileges of 
the Christian faith and worship. 

I cannot see any serious objection to the religious 
instruction of our servants. Let us inquire, what it 
is to make them Christians ? Is it not to instruct 
them in the word of God, and to teach them their 
duty to God, and to man ? Can a knowledge of Di- 
vine Revelation, which was specially given for our 
" instruction in righteousness," injure the welfare of 
any human being? It is impossible. The perversion 
of Scripture will ruin the souls of black or white ; 

Christians are on a level. Onesimus, the slave, on becoming a 
Christian, is the Apostle's son, and Philemon's brother. 2d. That 
Christianity makes no alteration in men^s political state. Onesi- 
mus the slave, did not become a freeman by embracing Christian- 
ity, but was still obliged to be Philemon's slavb for ever, unless^ 
his master gave him his freedom. That slaves should not be ta- 
ken nor detained from their master, without their master's con- 
sent," &c — Macknighton the Epistles, iii. p. 322^ Lond. — I8l6. 



11 

but the right understanding thereof, must make thero 
" wise unto salvation ;" and, if so, it must make 
them better servants to God, and to their masters. 
" Lay apart," says 8L James^ the brother, i. e. the 
kinsman, of our Lord, "all filthiness and superfluity 
of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the en- 
grafted word, which is able to save your souls." — 
James i. 2L But the souls of the impenitent wick- 
ed are not saved ; for the Psalmist says that " the 
wicked shall be turned into hell." — Ps. ix. 17. 
Therefore it is by the conversion of the wicked, by 
making them moral and religious beings, that " the 
engrafted word," will save their souls alive. It is 
by " laying apart all filthiness, and superfluity of 
naughtiness," all disobedient, disorderly, unfaithful, 
immoral, and irreligious conduct, that the soul is 
prepared for salvation, by the engrafted word of 
God ; and this word of God is revealed to us in the 
Bible. Can, then, a knowledge of the religion of the 
Bible, be useless to any person, or particularly im- 
proper for our servants ? St. Paul asserts, that " the 
Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto sal- 
vation through faith which is in Christ Jesus ; and that 
all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,and is pro- 
fitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness." 2 Tim- iii. 15. 16. 
After this high commendation of the excellency, and 
general practical usefulness of the Bible, shall we, 
or can we with truth, say, that the word of God is 
not adapted to the various conditions of men ? Shall 



"" " 23 

We pretend to a better knowledge of what is neces- 
sary for man, than the Holy Ghost, who endited 
these paragraphs ? I trust not. But let us see what 
the Scriptures will teach our servants : As I pre- 
sume that the Decalogue and the Lord's Praj'er, 
will be acknowledged to be as fit for our servants 
use, as our own, we shall turn to the directions 
given by the Apostles, for their government. 

" Let every man," says St. Paul, " abide in the 
same calling wherein he was called. Art thou call- 
ed, being a servant f Care not for it : but if thou 
mayest be made free, use it rather," i. e. be not soli- 
citous to be made free." " For he that is called in 
the Lord," i. e. he who is a Christian, " being a 
s.ervant,'''' is the Lord's freeman."— 1 Cor. vii. 20-23. 

*' Servants, be obedient to them that are your l/ 
masters according to the flesh, with fear and trem- 
bling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; 
not with eye service, as men-pleasers ; but as the 
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the 
heart ; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, 
and not to men :" And as an encouragement to the 
good conduct of servants, the Apostle holds out to 
them the hope of reward. " Whatsoever good thing 
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, 
whether he be bond or free." — Eph. vi. 5-9. See 
the same words repeated to the christian slaves of 
Colosse, the very place of Onesimus's servitude. — 
Col. iii. 22. 23. 24 



24 

It must here be remarked, that the original word 
tevxst rendered servant, means a slave* 

Tlie Apostle in his charge to Timothy, Bishop of 
Ephesus, expresses himself with great force on this 
subject : " Let as many servants as are under the 
yoke, count their own masters worthy of all honour, 
that the name of God and his doctrine be not blas- 
phemed. And they that have believing masters, let 
them not desi)ise them, because they are brethren ; 
but rather do them service, because they are faithful 
and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things 
teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and 
consent not to wholesome words, even the words of 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is 
according to godliness; he is proud," &c. — 1 Tim* 
vi. 1—9. 

The same Apostle, in his charge to Titus, Bishop 
of Crete, says : " Exhort servants to be obedient 
unto their own masters, and to please them well in 
all things ; not answering again ; not purloining, but 
showing all good fidelity." — Tit. ii. 9. 10. 

And St. Peter, likewise, has left directions on the 
same subject: " Servants, be subject to your masters 
with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but 
also to the froward. — 1 Pet. ii. 18. The word 

* The treatment of slaves in the time of the Apostles was severe 
in the extreme, and bears no comparison with their condition at 
the present day. Their masters had the power of life and death in 
their own hands. And yet, it was of such slaves, that the Apostles 
spoke, and commanded their obedience and faithfulness to their 
masters. — \Vho then, can doubt, that Christianity is adapted to 
every condition of men, whether bond or free ? 



25 

rendered servants, in the original is */*ir«i domestic 
slaves, or house-servants. This is a remarkable text, 
and must be j)articiilar!y noticed. The Ai)ostle re- 
quires j'rom servants obedience, submission^ subjection, 
to a bad, as well as to a good master. There is 
nothinj; in the law of God, which can, in the slight- 
est manner, justify the disobedience and r('volt of 
slaves. Faithfulness, obedience and integrity, are 
every where inculcated, and in every condition and 
circumstance of life, are universally required. 

Is any i)erson prepared to say that, notwithstand- 
ing these things " w<'re written by inspiration of 
God," (2 Tim. iii. 16.) for the use and benefit of 
our servants, that we ought not to permit our servants 
even to hear them read ! That because they are igno- 
rant, they must remain ignorant of what God in his 
wisdom, has been pleased to reveal for them alone ! 
Tills, I apprehend, is as bad logic, as it is unscrip- 
tural. Because I am poor, is that a reason why I 
should not honestly endeavour to become rich ? Was 
it not this which constituted one of St. Paul's charges 
against the Jews, that they forbad the Apostles to 
speak to the Gentiles, lest they might be saved ? — 1 
Thess. ii. lb. Is not this what Gamaliel calls " fight- 
ing against God ?^—Acts v. 39. If ir be not, I know 
not what else to call it. What can be " fighting 
against God," if it be not opposing his revealed will, 
and intercei)ting, and withholding, the communica- 
tions between God, and the people to whom they 

are graciously sent ? This is an awful thought! Who 
4 



26 

liath hardoiied himself against God, and hath pros^- . 
peied ? — Job ix. 4. But let me ask, whether we 
can conceive advice more judicious, and better adapt- 
ed to the condition of our slaves, than what we see 
has been given by the Apostles of our blessed Sa- 
viour ? If our servants lived by these rules, would it 
not be better for all parties ? Are not our servants 
capable of understanding these simple duties ? Some 
indeed, may not comprehend the Christian spirit of 
the law, but all will understand the letter; and when 
they know that these duties are required of them by 
the word of God, they may be willing to discharge 
them. But the more ignorant the being, the greater 
is the necessity for his instruction. They may as 
often err through ignorance, as vice. Misunderstand- 
ing the duties of their condition, they may mean to 
do right, when they are actually committing evil. 
Religious instruction would set them right. Besides, 
ignorance renders them subject to deception. An 
int( lligent knave might easily excite their fears, or 
thrir passions, and lead them into mischief. I grant, 
that knowledge is power. But Christian knowledge, 
is " peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, temperance," chastity, obedience. — Gal. 
V. 22. 23. Pure and undefiled religion will always 
produce these effects. Order, not disorder, is its 
natural consequence. Obedience, not rebellion, is 
the fruit of the Gospel. Christianity was founded 
by the l^rince of Peace, and has for its object peace 
in this world, and in that which is beyond the grave. 



27 

It may be abused as well as any thing else ; but that 
must be owing to the wickedness of its enemies, or 
the injudicious conduct of its friends. Christianity 
breathes peace and good will to the whole human 
race ; and all who live by its precepts, must be better 
men, in every condition of life. Masters will become 
more kind, and slaves more obedient. Each will 
feel his responsibility increased, and each will rejoice 
before God, that he has been found faithful in the 
duties which his condition in life required. God is 
the moral Governor of the universe ; and the rulers 
of nations and communities, the fathers of families, 
and the owners of slaves, are, each in their respec- 
tive spheres, the head of a moral government, in sub-: 
jection to God, for the good of society, the happiness 
of the people, and the glory and honour of God's 
name. Being invested with tiiis moral control, we 
shall be held accountable for its use. in the great 
day of retribution. And it appears to me, not to be 
the least important part of the business, to reflect on 
our relative situation at the judgement-seat of Christ ; 
when we shall be surrounded by the collected hosts 
of heaven and earth, and among them, the slaves we 
possessed in this world. Think, reader, wliat de- 
light it must give to the pious heart in that awful 
day, to hear these people welcomed as disciples of 
our common Lord and Saviour ! Think of the joy 
we must feel to know, that it was through our instru- 
mentality, and the grace of God, tiiat they were 
brought to that happy state! And should any be 



28 

iinaily lost, how consoling will be the reflection, that 
ihey are not lost through our negligence, or example. 

We have an unquestionable right to exi)ect, in re- 
turn for the kindness we show to our slaves, obedi- 
ent and orderly behaviour. But may it not be asked, 
without giving offence, whether, without rational in- 
struction, we can reasonably expect it ? Obedience 
may, it is true, be rendered through fear; but this 
will soon cease to operate, and will never be sincere. 
But when it is the result of a proi)er sense of moral 
obligation, it will always be faithful. Have these 
people ever received any moral or religious demon- 
strations of their duty ? Have they, generally, been 
told, what God, in his word, requires of them ? Or 
have they, generally, been left to shift for themselves ; 
to brood over the ills of life ; to live without hope ; 
to cherish their vices; to indulge their passions, and 
to live according to their own view of things ? I have 
said, generally^ because there are many families, who 
feel it as much a religious duty, to instruct their ser- 
vants in a knowledge of God their Saviour, as they 
do their children. 

1 will ap])eal to the bosom of every religious man, 
and ask him to declare, whether, from his own expe- 
rience, he does not feel the restraining influence of 
his religion in every circumstance and condition of 
life ; and whether, he does not rejoice " with joy 
unspeakable," when he contrasts his present obedi- 
ence and faithfulness to God and to man, with his 
condition, while under the influence of his passions 



29 

and the fear of the scorner ? And what was it that 
produced the change ? Was it not the revealed word 
of God, brought homo to his conscience and his 
heart, by Divine Grace ? And can we. prove, that this 
will not be the effect of God's word, and grace, upon 
the conscience and heart of a slave ? If we can make 
but one slave a better man, we serve our country ; 
if we can save but one soul from the wrath to come, 
we gK)rify God. And all that we can possibl}' do to 
accomplish this end, is like the " dust in the balance," 
when placed in opposition to such an object. And 
oh. Reader! Hearken to the declaration of God hy 
the mouth of bis holy servants : " He which con- 
verteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall 
save his soul from [eternal] death, and shall hide a 
multitude of sins" — James v. 20. " And they that be 
teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firma- 
ment ; and they that turn many to righteousness, as 
the stars for ever and ever." — Dan. xii. 3. margin. 
What an inducement for Christians to labour for the 
the conversion of the ignorant and the wicked ! 

I will again appeal to every Christian Master, and 
ask him, whether his mind would not be more at 
case, and his heart more elated with religious joy, to 
know that he dwelt among real professors of Christ- 
ianity, who daily offered up their prayers, for the 
prosperity and happiness of himself and his family, 
rather than among Muhammedans, whose religion 
encourages licentiousness. an<l teaches rapine and 
immorality P There can be no doubt of the answer. 



30 

Then, reader, recollect, that most of our imported 
Negroes are Muhammedans ; and tliat they may 
teach what they know of the Koran to their children, 
unless Christians will take the trouble to instruct 
them in the religion of the Gospel. Some sort of 
religion they will have ; but whether it shall be true 
or false, depends, in a great measure, upon us. 

Truth, however, demands the acknowledgment, 
that the example of Christian morality, and the pious 
exertions of Christian benevolence, too oft(.'n fail to 
influence their minds, or improve their hearts. Gra- 
titude is not one of their virtues. They, generally, 
appear to be no otherwise affected by the treatment 
they receive from a good, or a bad master, than the 
amount of mere animal feeling. What they receive 
they consider as their due, and indulgence too often 
leads them to practice imposition. The severest, I 
mean not by this expression the most cruel, but the 
most rigid, master, will always have the most orderly 
slaves. From this well known fact, the duty of 
owners is made plain. Treat them with Christian 
kindness in every respect, and then make them per- 
form their duty. If our children are to be corrected 
{Prov. xxii. 15. xxiii. 13. 14.) when they will not 
do what is right, how much more our servants when 
they purposely do wrong ! 

After all, every good man will have cause to la- 
ment, that our kindest and best intentions, will, in 
many instances, be of but little avail. Some good, 
however, can be done ; and, I trust in God, that, much 



31 

has already been done. I believe that hundreds have 
been made pious Christians, and I trust, that by per- 
severance, and the Grace of God, many more will 
yet be brought to a saving knowledge of their Re- 
deemer. They who have been borri in the state, 
and more particularly those who are young, may, in 
time, and with the blessing of heaven upon our en- 
deavours, be brought to a proper sense of their duty 
to God, and their Masters. At any rate, we shall 
have this consolation ; that if our labour is lost in 
this world, we may hope to be recompensed at the 
resurrection of the just. 

I do not believe that there are many well informed 
religious men, who seriously object to the rational 
instruction of Negroes, in the leading doctrines of 
the Gospel, by regular, and judicious Clergymen be- 
longing to the state. The objection lies against their 
injudicious instruction. It will not be denied, that, 
in every denomination of Christians in Carolina, 
there are Clergymen who possess sufficient learning, 
piety, judgement, patriotism, discretion, and willing- 
ness of disposition, to enter seriously into this part of 
their duty. If the Masters of slaves will unite in the 
great Christian scheme of conversion, means may be 
devised for the purpose. I confess, however, that 
many difficulties and discouragements present them- 
selves to my mind ; but still, I trust, there are none 
that may not be overcome by prudence and persever- 
ance, under the blessing of God. Plain and i»racti- 
cal, and, at the same time, interesting, moral tracts 



32 

misht l)« prepared for the Negroes who can read, 
and ilH'}' who cannot, mij4ht listen to liiosc- who can. 
By this means, and I know of no other, injnrions in- 
formation either (ierived, or likely to be derived, horn 
improper sources, uiisht be correct d ; their duties 
and oblif^ations made j)lain to their comprehension, 
and enforced by instructive examples; a course of 
practical lessons mij^ht be selected from the Bible, 
particularly from the historical books, the Psalms and 
Proverbs, but principally Irom the New Testament, 
and proper prayers composed, adapted to their con- 
dition and necessities. It is ignorance, superstition, 
fanaticism, and a false representation of their condi- 
tion and their duties, that will destroy them in this 
world, and in the next. And it therefore appears to 
WW. to be improper, to permit them to run after un- 
known itinerants. Let them attend the regularly 
settled i)laces of public worship in their neighbour- 
hood ; and, 1 should think, those to which their mas- 
ters belong, should have the preference. They must 
not be allowed to hold separate meetings of their 
own, under teachers of their own colour, as ignorant, 
and as superstitious as themselves ; who will ex- 
pound the Scriptures according to their own views, 
or excite the malignant passions of their deluded 
hearers, by, perhaps, an unintentional, if not a de- 
signed, misconstruction of the sacred page. Such 
parts of the Sacred Writings as more immediately 
coiiCt j,i r'leir condition and duty, and the practical 
[)oints of morality, such as, justice, sobriety^ 



88 

chastity, fidelity, honesty, industry, obedience, &c. 
as well as the nature of faith, should bv> carefully ex- 
plained to them. And so should those passages 
which thev may, and actually have, wrestfd to their 
own destruction —2 Pet. iii. 16. Upon a late afflict- 
ing occasion in Charleston, one of the convicts, the 
day before his execution, was overheard expounding 
to his wife, the beginning of the I4th chapter of St. 
John, and applying it to himself. It was necessary, 
he said, that he should go to prepare a place in 
heaven for his wife ! Thus abusing the gracious 
words of our blessed Saviour to his immediate dis- 
ciples.* 

This leads me to advert to a circumstance connect- 
ed with the unhappy event which gave rise to these 
remarks. The circumstance is this: None of the 
Negroes helonains: to the Protestant Episcopal Church 
were concerned in the late conspiracy. To what cause 

* While briefly suggesting what may be done in this matter, I 
will just hint at a subject, which some may think of importance. 
The celebration of the Fourth of July, belongs exdiisivehi to the 
white population of the United States. The American Revolution 
was ^family quarrel am'm^ eqita/s. In this, the Neoroes had no 
concern; their' condition remained, and must remain, unchanged. 
They have no moi e to do with the celebration of that day, than 
with the landing of the Pilgrims on the rock at Plymouth. It 
ther'-fore appears to me, to be improper to allow these people to be 
pres^^nt on these occasions. In our speeches and orations, much, 
and sometimes more than is politically necessary, is said about per- 
sonal liberty, which Negro auditors know not how to apply, except 
by running the parallel with their own condition. They, there- 
fore, imbibe false notions of their personal rights, and give reality 
in their minds, to what has no real existence. The peculiar state 
of our community, must be steadily kept in view. This, I am gra- 
tified to learn, will, in some measure, be promoted by the mstitution 
«f The South-Carolina Association. 

5 



34 

is this to be attributed ? Their condition is no better; 
they live under the same circumstances and treat- 
ment, and they have the same natural ignorance and 
superstition, as the rest of their race. And yet, in 
this instance, there was a marked difference. There 
must be, in the very nature of things, some reason 
for this. What this reason may be, is worthy of our 
inquiry. Is it because in the sober, rational, sub- 
lime and evangelical worship of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church, there is nothing to inflame the pas- 
sions of the ignorant enthusiast ; nothing left to the 
crude, undigested ideas of illiterate black class-lead- 
ers ? Is it because the coloured leaders in that 
Church, were not permitted to expound the Scrip- 
tures, or to exhort, in words of their own; to use 
extemporary prayer, and to utter at such times, what- 
ever nonsense and profanity might happen to come 
into their minds? Is it because the order and lan- 
guage of the worship of that Church, being precom- 
posed and arranged, cannot ho perverted or abused 
to party purposes ? These qiiestions deserve serious 
reflection. 

When the coloured class-leaders in the Protestant 
Episcopal Church, were allowed to meet for religious 
exercises,* ttiey were accustomed to use no other 
worship than the regular course prescribed in the 
Book of Common Prayer, for the day. Hymns or 
Psalms out of the same book were sung, and a print- 

* These meetings have been discontinued since the event allu- 
ded to. 



S5 

ed sermon read. White persons were often present 
on these occasions. No extemporary address, ex- 
hortation, or prayer, was permitted, or used. Here 
was nothing to mislead the weak, excite the passions 
of the wicked, or i>ni)Ose upon the credulous. The 
exercises were rational and pious, and the audience 
decorous. Had Divine Service been held on the 
same evenings in the Church, the same exercises 
would have been performed, with the exce])tion of 
the sermon. At the time alluded to, there were 316 
black and coloured communicants in the Episcopal 
Churches in Charleston, and all of them were free 
from reproach; and there were, at the same time, 
about 200 black and coloured children in their Sunday 
Schools. The instruction in these schools, will be 
admitted to be judicious and useful. In the Third 
Annual Report of the Charleston Proiestant Episco- 
pal Sunday School Society, it is stated, p. 4, that 
*' several classes of coloured children are instructed 
by some elderly coloured members, under the inspec- 
tion of the Ministers of the Church. Their instruc- 
tion consists in, a knowledge of the Church Cate- 
chism ; some portions of the sacred writings, and the 
Psalms and Hymns. No secular instruction is given 
in this school." The children committed their exer- 
cises to memory.* 

* I think there is sufficient evidence to establish tlie fact, that 
the general character for orderly conduct, in many of the Negroes 
and people of colour, belonging to tlie Protestant Episcopal 
Churches in Charleston, is, in a great measure, to be attributed to 
the excellent foundation which was laid, for their moral and religi- 
ous instruction, in the School established before the Revolution, in 



36 

The event which gave rise to these " considera- 
tions." hn\ its oriiiin and scat, chiefly in the Afri- 
can Church, which was entirely composed of negroes, 
un(l>*r preachers of their own colour ; but it involv- 
ed a few individuals [)elonginft to other Churches.* 
And I write it with feelings of the deepest regret, 
that som+' of the conspirators were preachers, class- 
leaders, and communicants ;t thus verifying the 



St. Philip's Church. There are several very orderly and decent 
negroes, and people of colour, now living, 'vho were instructed in 
that School ; and their general deportment has satisfied me, of the 
usefulness of these institutions, for meliorating the moral character 
of otu- black an<l coloured population. If we would reason from 
facts that are known, and not speculate upon opinions which are 
yet to be proved, perhaps, we should be more generally disposed 
to afford these people, the means of receiving moral and religious 
instiiiction. See Hisf. of Pro. Epis. Church in So. Ca. Bishop 
Po.-feus^s Works, vi. p. l65. Lond. 1812. Archbishop Seeker^ s 
Works, v. Serm. cxxxi. p. 78. Duh. 177^- 



* " It is also a pleasing consideration," says Dr. Furraan, " that 
in the late projected scheme for producing an insurrection among 
us, there v/ere very few of those who were, as members, attached 
to regular Churches, (even within the sphere ot its operations) 
who appear to have taken a part in the wicked plot, or indeed to 
whom it was made known ; of some Churches it does not appear, 
that thfre loere any. It is true, that a considerable number of 
those who were found guilty and executed, laid claim to a religi- 
ous character; yet several of these were grossly immoral, and, in 
general, they were members of an irregular body, which called 
itself the African Church, and had intimate conueftion and inter- 
course icith a similar body of men in a northern city, among 
whom the supposed right to emancipation is strenuously advocat- 
ed.^^ See the Rev. Dr. Purman's Exposition of the Views of the 
Ba/jtists, relative to the Coloured Population of the United 
States, p p. 16. 17- 

t See An Account of the late intended Insurrection, 8fc. puh- 
■ lished by authority of the Corporation of Charleston, p p. 26, 
29 and 30. 



37 

truth of a remark which teachers have, too often 
occasion to make, that there is but little confidence 
to be (jlaced in the religious profession of negroes. 
I sp«'ak generally. Mnch animal excitement may 
be, and oftentimes is, produced, where but little real 
devotion is felt in the heart. I sympathize, most 
sincerely, with the very respectable and |)ious Cler- 
gyman, whose heart must still bleed at the recollec- 
tion, that his confidential class-leader, but a week 
or two before his just conviction, had received the 
Communion of the Lord's Supper, from his hand. 
This wretch had been brought up in his Pastor's 
family, and was treated with the same christian at- 
tention, as was shown to their own children ! 

To us, who are accustomed to the base, and pro- 
verbial ingratitude of these people, this ill return 
of kindness and confidence is not surprising ; but 
they who are ignorant of their real character, will 
read and wonder. 

In conclusion, I may remark, that as slavery is 
found not to be contrary to the laws of God, so it 
is left to our own judgement, whether to hold 
slaves, or not. But the same God who permits 
slavery, has required of us, in his holy word, their 
religious instruction. And it certainly appears to a 
religious man, to be inconsistent, to say the least 
of it, to claim the authority of God, in one case, 
and to reject it in another. If we are the owners 
of slaves, our duty to God, to our country, and to 



3B 

ourselves, all urge the necessity of affording them 
instruction, in th^- Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Sa- 
viour of the souls of men. 

A SOUTH-CAROLINIAN. 



LEAp'i 



J1 



